Friday, June 17, 2016

God's Timeline


 
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day….” – 2 Peter 3:8-9

I’ve been guilty of praying and thinking God isn’t interested in answering my prayer.  But that just isn’t true.  He does answer it, just not the way I want or when I want. 

We all live in such a microwave minute type of life.  We want everything at the snap of our fingers.  Heck! I’ve even quit waiting till the weekend to pick up stuff I need (thanks Amazon Prime, I’m addicted!).  We just do not have patience to wait.  And yet, He tells us that we are to wait on Him, and when we do we will be strengthened (Isaiah 40:31).  When he says that, He’s not talking about strength in our biceps and triceps.  He’s talking about strength of spirit, our ability to rest in Him, knowing He hears our prayers.  Waiting produces patience, and patience we’re told completes us so that we are lacking nothing (James 1:4).  It’s kind of a big deal to have patience, don’t you think?

I think we humanize God sometimes, imagining Him to be more like us that He is.  We (me included) need to remember that God has a different timeline than we do.  His stretches all the way through eternity as if it was a single day.  So when we ask for things in prayer, we have to trust that He always hears the prayers of His children, and that His view of life includes the future as history.  Sometimes it is best that we wait for what we’ve asked for - and that is what He does.  Sometimes it’s best that we don’t get what we’ve asked for - and that is what He does.  And sometimes, yes sometimes, He has got to say, “Seriously Faithie, you have got to be kidding me! A million dollars would just make you fat and lazy!”  But regardless of the answer, we can trust Him to do it all in our best interest. 
He’s a great Father.  He knows how to give the best gifts, and to withhold those that would harm us.